Where Do I Start with Photography?

Maybe you’d just like to take better pictures of your family or places you’ve been. Or perhaps you’re looking for a new hobby. Maybe one day you’d like to work professionally. Whatever the reason, learning how to take great pictures is a worthwhile venture. But, photography is an expensive hobby, and one with a vast amount of information to discover. Which leaves you asking, “How do I get into photography?” Like any creative venture, there’s no single “right” way to get into photography. But, there are a number of things you can do to get off to a great start. Here are some tips if you’re starting photography. How to Start Photography- Step 1 Find What Inspires You Before you do anything else, find your inspiration. Do you enjoy traveling and taking pictures? Or snapping photos of your kids? Are you more interested in one type of photography over the other, like sports or macro? Start by evaluating what you already like to do. Photography is a hobby that meshes well with other hobbies, like travel, sports and gardening. Then, browse through some photos. What ones are you most drawn to? Photos of people or inanimate objects? Posed photos, or candids? By identifying what inspires you, or what you already enjoy doing, you can better determine where to start learning photography. How to Start Photography- Step 2 Compose Carefully When starting photography, one of the most basic photography tips is to pay attention to what's in the frame of the viewfinder. Fill the frame. For instance, nothing but blue sky behind a single subject throws off the proportions of the photo and decreases interest. You can also turn the camera sideways to see if a vertical photo might have more impact than a horizontal shot of the same subject. You can also try positioning your subject off to the side, rather than in the center of the photograph. How to Start Photography- Step 3 Take Great Close-up Photos If your camera has a macro mode think of it as a super magnifying glass. An extreme close-up of something like flower petals can bring out textures that you never knew existed and will add excitement to your photos. Play with this feature. You’ll find dozens of ways to use it to enhance your pictures. Another option to capture amazing tiny worlds of detail not visible to the naked eye is to attach macro lenses from Beachcamera.com to your Nikon D500 DSLR. How to Start Photography- Step 4 Buy a Tripod Digital cameras are prone to blurry photographs if your hands shake even a little bit. When starting photography, light, portable, inexpensive tripods help combat this. Using one can save you hours of frustration and preserve otherwise perfect shots. How to Start Photography- Step 5 Get Active Take your shot from the top of a teeter-totter, off the side of the boat, or standing on your head. When starting photography, thinking outside the box can really pay off in unexpected ways. You’ll truly get once-in-a-lifetime shots by adding a bit of creativity to your thinking and a great Sigma camera lens from Beachcamera.com to your gear. How to Start Photography- Step 6 Look into Workshops and Tutorials There's nothing like practice to improve your photography except when it's practice coupled with the experience gained by learning from a pro. Be sure to bookmark your favorite sites, check out tutorials, and most importantly, keep shooting! You'll quickly become addicted! Photography is a rewarding hobby, and it can even become an enjoyable career. But, everyone has to start somewhere. When you’re starting at the very beginning, find what inspires you, shoot every day and take your camera with you everywhere!